Peter Pan Live! Soars with DPA Microphones

Peter Pan Live!, NBC’s live primetime television production of the classic Broadway musical, aired last week with audio support from Firehouse Productions and DPA Microphones. The live TV ‘film,’ which followed the success of the network’s 2013 depiction of the Sound of Music, raked in over nine million viewers. With a live show of this magnitude, Firehouse needed an audio solution that would provide pristine audio quality expected with HD television while still giving audiences the feel of a grand theater production. To accomplish this, the sound reinforcement company called on 48d:screet™ 4061 Miniature Microphones to support the entire cast, which included Christopher Walken as Captain Hook and Allison Williams as Peter Pan.

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 18, 2014 – Peter Pan Live!, NBC’s live primetime television production of the classic Broadway musical, aired last week with audio support from Firehouse Productions and DPA Microphones. The live TV ‘film,’ which followed the success of the network’s 2013 depiction of the Sound of Music, raked in over nine million viewers. With a live show of this magnitude, Firehouse needed an audio solution that would provide pristine audio quality expected with HD television while still giving audiences the feel of a grand theater production. To accomplish this, the sound reinforcement company called on 48 d:screet™ 4061 Miniature Microphones to support the entire cast, which included Christopher Walken as Captain Hook and Allison Williams as Peter Pan.

With each lead and principal actor double-miked, and a single mic on each member of the ensemble, DPA’s d:screet 4061 was the exclusive microphone used for the production. Having gained familiarity with the DPA d:screet 4061s from years of Tony Awards productions, Mark Dittmar, audio producer for Peter Pan Live! and lead design and integration engineer for Firehouse Productions, credited both the sound and the size of the mics for highlighting the show’s top level performers.

“DPA d:screet 4061s have become our premier high-end microphone,” says Dittmar. “We used them on the Sound of Music last year, which was the first big NBC live musical, and even knowing where the microphones are hidden, you cannot see a single one. It’s the combination of size and sound quality that makes the d:screet 4061 the perfect choice for this application; it was the same thing this year. Most of the cast members were wearing two microphones, so we were even able to hide two on one person. From my experience, the sound quality of the microphones is spectacular and that is especially evident when miking an actor who has a very dynamic vocal range.”

Since the production was not filmed in front of a live audience, the audio team also had no PA system to hide behind when it came to hiding background noises. “Literally every single sound on the set is audible and some microphones are so sensitive that you even get noise from their wires,” continues Dittmar. “The DPA mics don’t have this obstruction. The sensitivity of the noise is like nothing else I’ve ever dealt with. The microphone works very nicely for us in that it’s not adding anything unwanted. What’s more, they are a very popular Broadway microphone. We have a whole team of A2s that had to mic the cast and the d:screet is absolutely a top choice for them.”

A live telecast of the beloved J. M. Barrie book, Peter Pan, the production featured an all-star lineup, which not only includes Williams and Walken as the leads, but also Minnie Driver as both the narrator and the adult version of the character Wendy Darling, and Christian Borle in dual roles as Mr. Smee and George Darling. The show aired Live on NBC on Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern, from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York.Peter Pan Live! is now available on DVD and as a DVD+CD Soundtrack Gift Set, which includes "The Making of Peter Pan Live!,” a unique opportunity for fans to have an inside look at the creation of the musical event.

A 25-year veteran of the industry, Dittmar has been with Firehouse Productions for the last 14 years. During this time, Dittmar has had the benefit of working on several high-profile productions, including the MTV Video Music Awards, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and the Concert of Valor, among others.

ABOUT DPA:

DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high-quality condenser microphone solutions for professional applications. DPA’s ultimate goal is to always provide its customers with the absolute finest possible microphone solutions for all its markets, which include live sound, installation, recording, theatre and broadcast. When it comes to the design process, DPA takes no shortcuts. Nor does the company compromise on its manufacturing process, which is done at the DPA factory in Denmark. As a result, DPA’s products are globally praised for their exceptional clarity and transparency, unparalleled specifications, supreme reliability and, above all, pure, uncolored and undistorted sound.

Bulgarian International Television (BiT), a Chicago-based TV station serving Bulgarians in the U.S., is using DPA Microphones to fulfill the audio requirements for all of its programs. With several of the company’s d:screet™ 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphone integrated into its live production process, the station relies on the mics around the clock to ensure clear audio for every show.

Every night, comedian Conan O’Brien entertains a television and studio audience with monologues, comedy skits, guests interviews and musical performances on his late night TBS show, aptly self-titled Conan. To ensure the audience never misses the punch line, Mike Stock, senior audio mixer for the show, depends on DPA Microphones’ d:screet™ 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones which he uses on O’Brien, his sidekick Andy Richter and their guests, to overcome the sound challenges on set.

When AOL Productions’ HuffPost Live, an online video streaming network affiliated with the Huffington Post news outlet, sought to outfit its Beverly Hills studio with a permanent set of audio equipment, it turned to Trew Audio Los Angeles, to specify the gear. As audio is one of the most important elements of any webcast, Trew Audio, a longtime provider of sound equipment sales, rentals and services for AOL Productions, suggested DPA Microphones’ 4061 Lavalier Microphone. Used daily by the talent and guests who appear on the Website, the microphones provide clarity, flexibility and reliability.

New York-based Cellist Dane Johansen is embarking on The Walk to Fisterra, a 600-mile musical/walking journey along the Camino de Santiago, a popular pilgrimage route through France and Spain. Over the course of his six-week journey, which began May 14, Johansen will stop at several of the 36 historic churches along the Ancient Roman footpath, where he will perform Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, while a team of filmmakers and music producers capture content for a stunning documentary about the pilgrimage. To ensure the highest quality audio, sound engineer, Kyle Pyke, and Grammy® Award-winner, Jesse Lewis, who is the music producer and co-sound engineer on the project, are using several pieces from DPA Microphones’ product line.

Heard by thousands of people through live audiences, simulcasts, webcasts and recordings, and millions more through online video engines, the annual TED Conference requires gear that matches its prestige. With discussions that address a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture, microphones are vital to all TED audiences. To provide the ultimate in sound quality for presenters and performers at TED2014, technical team from McCune Audio/Video, the symposium’s sound services company, relies on DPA Microphones’ classic 4088 Directional Headset Microphones and d:screet 4060 Omnidirectional Microphone.

When production started on the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, set to hit the big screen this Friday, June 20, crew members knew they would need to capture all audio, music and vocals live without any pre-recordings. As instrument miking was not available during the 1950s to 1970s era of the film, the production team also needed to conceal the musicians’ mics on set. To address these unique challenges, they turned to DPA Microphones.

DPA Microphones will showcase updates to its range of high-quality live microphone options at the 2014 NAB Show (Booth C3333). Among the updates on display are enhancements to its superior d:dicate™ Recording Microphone range, which delivers high-quality audio across many applications, including live broadcast presentations, speeches and press conferences. The company is also presenting the gold and nickel grids for its award-winning d:facto™ Vocal Microphone, which is ideal for live concert broadcasts and singing competition programs.

When Daniel S. McCoy, CAS, scored the sound supervisor role for ABC’s new live results singing show, Rising Star, he knew he would need an innovative miking solution to support the performances. In addition to his tried-and-trusted d:dicate™ 4017 Shotgun Mic from DPA Microphones, McCoy also relies on his new DPA d:screet™ 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Mics with Wisycom wideband transmitters and receivers.